Statement from the Children’s Commissioner on the sentencing in the Fordingbridge rape case
Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza said: “The rape of two teenage girls in Fordingbridge is deeply disturbing and has shocked people across the country. My thoughts are first and foremost with the two girls and their families, who have shown extraordinary courage in speaking out about these heinous crimes. “No child should experience the […]
Walk to School Week: What do children say about walking to school?
I launched my biggest and final survey of England’s children: The Big Future by going for a walk with some brilliant young people. I travelled to Cumbria, the first leg on a journey that will take me all over the country. I hiked with Scouts along Hadrian’s Wall, who told me about their lives and hopes […]
Children’s Commissioner’s Submission: Department for Education SEND Consultation
As Children’s Commissioner, I have a statutory duty to ensure that children’s views are heard. And so I want to begin, as I always try to do, with something that a child told me. I was working with a group of children, and I asked one of them what they wanted from their support service. […]
The Big Future: Speaking to children in Cumbria
Last week, I launched my biggest survey yet of England’s children: The Big Future. But surveying children was not enough. I knew I wanted to continue to speak to, and crucially hear from, England’s children personally. I began that work in Cumbria, at Hadrian’s Wall. I will end it at Land’s End. Over the coming months, I will […]
Reflecting on the second Festival of Childhood
Last Friday, I hosted my second Our Future, Our Voice: Festival of Childhood in collaboration with the Science and Industry Museum, Manchester. The event built on my inaugural Festival of Childhood, continuing my mission to make sure children’s voices are heard at the highest level of decision making. As Children’s Commissioner, my priority is to […]
Taking The Big Future on the road: Listening to children in Carlisle
Today, I am in Carlisle, starting a journey across England with a simple but important purpose: to hear directly from children about their lives. I want to find out what they love, what worries them and what they want decision makers to do to make childhood better. Far too often, decisions about childhood are made […]
The Children’s Commissioner’s response to the Ministry of Justice Consultation ‘A New Victims’ Code’
This is a written response by the Children’s Commissioner to the Ministry of Justice Consultation, A new victims code, on the proposed update to the Code which outlines how victims of crime should be supported through the criminal justice system. The Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza, has a statutory independent role to protect and […]
Our Future Our Voice: Festival of Childhood, The Children’s Commissioner’s opening keynote
On Friday 8th May, the Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza hosted her second Festival of Childhood in collaboration with Science and Industry Museum, Manchester. Below is the transcript of the Commissioner’s opening keynote accompanied by three of her Youth Ambassadors. Good morning everyone. I am Dame Rachel de Souza and I’m the Children’s Commissioner. […]
The Big Future
For the first time, hundreds of thousands of children will be eligible to vote in the next general election at age 16, the biggest change to the franchise in half a century – yet just one in five children say politicians listen to them. That’s why I’m doing my final survey, The Big Future, to […]
Press Notice: Morning after local elections, Children’s Commissioner’s new polling shows teenagers uncertain about voting in the next general election and worried about the future, as she launched major national survey
Today’s generation of teenagers are growing up worried about their futures and uncertain about voting in the next general election, the Children’s Commissioner will warn today, as she launches her final large scale national survey to ask children what it’s like to be a child in England today. Dame Rachel de Souza’s new polling paints a stark picture, with half of 13 to 17-year-olds saying they either do not know which political party they would support in the next general election or if they would even vote at all. The findings come the morning after the local elections, […]
Statement from the Children’s Commissioner after the Golders Green terror attack
“Make it safer for Jewish people and take hate on social media and in person more seriously” – Child, 14 Recently the Children’s Commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza spoke to Jewish children to hear about the impact of anti-Jewish racism in the wake of recent violence. She has issued the following statement: “When violence happens, […]
“Nothing about us without us”, youth voice in educational reform – Georgia Gould, Minister for School Standards – The Big Conversation Podcast – Episode 14
The Big Conversation: In conversation with the Children’s Commissioner and her youth Ambassadors is my podcast series where I share the voices and views of England’s children. The podcast draws on themes children and young people have said are most important and will focus on the most important issues that are impacting young people’s lives, […]
Archived Content
Children will keep dying on our streets until there is a joined up public health response to gangs
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, is today (Saturday) publishing a report assessing how effectively existing infrastructure within local authorities is being used to deliver a public health approach to preventing gang involvement and youth violence. The Children’s Commissioner concludes that two years on from her last report into this issue and a year after […]
Detention of unaccompanied children arriving in Kent during 2020
This briefing looks at the immediate conditions unaccompanied asylum-seeking children faced after travelling to the UK, usually via boat, during 2020. Specifically, it focuses on the children who arrived at the Kent Intake Unit, where children’s identities are checked and their initial asylum claims are processed before they can be accommodated by local authorities. After […]
Our joint call on the government to include a statutory duty on local authorities to fund community-based services in the Domestic Abuse Bill
The Children’s Commissioner, Anne Longfield, the Victims’ Commissioner, Dame Vera Baird QC, and the Domestic Abuse Commissioner, Nicole Jacobs, are jointly calling on the government to include a statutory duty on local authorities to fund community-based services in the Domestic Abuse Bill. In a joint statement, the Commissioners say: “It is vital that the government […]
Feedback
Children’s Commissioner’s podcast: Lockdown, school and football
In the second episode of the Children’s Commissioner’s podcast, Anne Longfield visits a school in South London where she talks to students about how the first coronavirus lockdown affected them, both at home and at school and what impact it had on their education and relationships. She also hears about a programme called Football Beyond […]
The state of children’s mental health services 2019/20
This is my fourth annual report on the state of children’s mental health services in England, and my last as Children’s Commissioner. I started this series of briefings because of the torrent of stories I was hearing from children about needing mental health services that weren’t there for them. I wanted to examine the data […]
Damage to children’s mental health caused by Covid crisis could last for years without a large-scale increase for children’s mental health services
Anne Longfield, Children’s Commissioner for England, is today (Thursday) publishing her fourth annual report on the state of children’s mental health services in England. The analysis examines the progress that has been made over the past five years as well as looking at the impact the Covid crisis has had on children’s mental health. The […]
Roadmap to reopening schools
Policy briefing Ever since last August, the Children’s Commissioner has said “Schools must be the last to close and the first to reopen.” This is now a well-used phrase as parents, teachers, scientists, politicians and the media all recognise the massive impact that the lockdowns are having on children’s education, and even more importantly, on […]
Our joint letter with Solace urging the PM to set-out a roadmap to reopen schools
The Children’s Commissioner and Solace have written a joint letter to the Prime Minister Boris Johnson, urging him to set-out a roadmap for the reopening of schools to all pupils. *** Dear Prime Minister, We are writing to urge you to set-out a roadmap for the reopening of schools to all pupils. We welcome your personal […]
Too many at-risk children are still invisible to social care
Since March 2020 when schools closed at the start of the first national lockdown, more families have fallen into poverty and all the major risk factors to children – domestic violence, poor parental mental health, and alcohol/substance abuse – have heightened. At the same time there has been a significant fall (by 10% compared to […]